Percobaan Tetes Minyak Robert Millikan

Summary

In 1909, Robert Millikan, working at the University of Chicago, conducted the famous oil drop experiment to measure the charge of an electron. By using fine oil droplets in an electrically charged field, and adjusting the applied voltage, Millikan observed how the droplets fell or even rose, depending on their charge. This allowed him to determine that the charge on each droplet was a multiple of the smallest charge, ultimately calculating the fundamental charge of an electron to be 1.6 × 10^-19 coulombs.

Takeaways

• 😀 Robert Millikan conducted experiments in 1909 at the University of Chicago to measure the charge on an electron.
• 😀 He used fine oil droplets to observe their behavior under various conditions inside a chamber.
• 😀 The chamber contained charged plates, and Millikan introduced an X-ray source to create charges when it struck matter.
• 😀 The charges generated by the X-rays attached to the oil droplets, which were observed to carry one or more charges.
• 😀 Without any applied voltage, the oil droplets fell according to their mass and the air viscosity they passed through.
• 😀 When a voltage was applied, droplets with a negative charge fell slower or even rose, depending on the magnitude of the charge.
• 😀 By adjusting the applied voltage, Millikan was able to control the motion of the droplets, both under 'live' and 'dead' voltage conditions.
• 😀 Millikan discovered that the charge on the oil droplets was always a multiple of the smallest charge.
• 😀 He successfully determined the fundamental charge of an electron to be approximately 1.6 × 10^-19 coulombs.
• 😀 This experiment was a pivotal moment in physics, confirming the quantized nature of electric charge.

Q & A

Who conducted the experiment to measure the charge of an electron?

The experiment was conducted by Robert Millikan, a scientist working at the University of Chicago.

In what year did Robert Millikan perform his experiment to measure the electron charge?

The experiment was conducted in 1909.

What was the method used by Millikan to measure the charge of the electron?

Millikan used an oil drop experiment where fine oil droplets were allowed to fall through a chamber, and he measured the effect of an electric field on their fall.

How did Millikan create the oil droplets for his experiment?

Millikan sprayed fine droplets of oil into a chamber, where they could settle and be observed as they fell under the influence of gravity and electrical forces.

What role did the X-ray source play in Millikan's experiment?

The X-ray source was used to ionize the oil droplets, causing them to acquire an electrical charge. This allowed Millikan to measure the charge on the droplets.

How did the application of electrical voltage affect the behavior of the oil droplets?

When voltage was applied to the plates in the chamber, charged droplets would either fall more slowly, stop falling, or even rise, depending on the amount of charge they carried.

What was the key observation that allowed Millikan to determine the charge on the electron?

By adjusting the voltage and observing the droplets under both live and neutral electrical conditions, Millikan was able to determine that the charge on each droplet was always a multiple of a smallest value, which he identified as the charge of a single electron.

What did Millikan conclude about the value of the electron charge?

Millikan determined that the charge of a single electron is 1.6 × 10^-19 coulombs.

What was the significance of Millikan's experiment in the field of physics?

Millikan's experiment was groundbreaking because it provided the first precise measurement of the electron's charge, which was fundamental for understanding atomic structure and electric charge in general.

What physical properties of the oil droplets did Millikan take into account during his experiment?

Millikan considered the mass and viscosity of the air through which the droplets fell, as these factors influenced how the droplets behaved under gravity and electrical forces.